Palomar Observatory, located atop Palomar Mountain in north San Diego County, California, is a center of astronomical research owned and operated …See more
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Tripadvisor
4.5/5 · 159 reviews
5-star
38%
4-star
25%
3-star
13%
2-star
12%
1-star
12%
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Jul 6, 2024
This is a "skip it" for your family vacation. It's about a 2-hour drive from San Diego up a very winding mountain road....and the views from the road are the highlight! Once you get to the observat… Full review by Stephanie C
Feb 8, 2024
We decided to add this to our itinerary on our San Diego trip as my sons are both into Astrophysics. It is an almost two hour drive from San Diego, but the views from the road up the mountain are sp… Full review by Sharron R
Aug 18, 2023
Loved the on the floor tour. First visited in 1979, second time ten years later...ish. Could only do the self guided tour/visitors gallery. July 15, 2023 took the $5.00 tour on the floor guided to… Full review by David T
Can the public view the cosmos at the observatory's telescope?
A:
Unfortunately no. Our telescopes are for scientific research purposes and for decades have no longer had eyepieces. To look through telescopes we recommend visiting Griffith …
Unfortunately no. Our telescopes are for scientific research purposes and for decades have no longer had eyepieces. To look through telescopes we recommend visiting Griffith Observatory in LA.
Will we be able to see what the telescope is looking at in real time? If so, how much time can we spend doing that?
A:
Hello Cindy There is no viewing through the Hale Telescope as a part of the tours. As noted above, children under 5 years of age are not admitted to our guided tours. We cannot …
Hello Cindy There is no viewing through the Hale Telescope as a part of the tours. As noted above, children under 5 years of age are not admitted to our guided tours. We cannot accommodate pets on tours of the Hale Telescope. However, guests with service dogs are welcome. We regret that we cannot accommodate wheelchair access to the Hale Telescope dome as part the tours. For more information, please see our Visiting Palomar page. Please note that the interior of the Hale Telescope dome is kept at nighttime temperatures for an elevation of 5,598 feet/1,702 meters. Temperatures inside the dome are often in the 30s and 40s °F (0–10 °C) from October through May. Dress accordingly. High-heeled shoes are not recommended for the tours. Please keep in mind that Palomar Observatory is a research facility. Google them to get more information about the tour, etc.
Are there docent led tours on weekdays in June? If so, what time?
A:
I believe that, year-round, they offer their tours on weekends only. They do two of them per day and each tour is restricted to 20 or 30 people (30 according to our docents, but 20 …
I believe that, year-round, they offer their tours on weekends only. They do two of them per day and each tour is restricted to 20 or 30 people (30 according to our docents, but 20 according to the person who took the money for the tickets).
Hello Gary G. I am interesting in visiting the Palomar Observatory, and would like to look through the telescope. I would love to see space close up, and though I have visited observatories before, I have never got to peek at the sky. What day/time or occasion can I actually love through the telescope? Thanks, So much Irene
A:
Hello, they do not allow visitors to look through the telescope unfortunately. You get within several feet of it during the inside tour but no one can get up close and personal with it. …
Hello, they do not allow visitors to look through the telescope unfortunately. You get within several feet of it during the inside tour but no one can get up close and personal with it. They explain at length how many scientists vie for time with the scope throughout the year so it is always being used for study.
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